Comparison

Lotus Chess vs Chess Masterclasses

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Lotus Chess

Learn chess openings, analyze your games, and master endgames with interactive lessons and personalized training plans. This app adapts to your skill level, from beginner to advanced, offering insights based on your own gameplay and millions of real-player games.

Highlights
  • Personalized opening courses from your games
  • Learn 150+ chess openings
  • Interactive lessons for beginners
  • Instant game analysis with mistake identification
  • 60+ endgame lessons and practice positions
  • Daily personalized workout plans
  • Offline access to opening and endgame lessons
Features
Read full description

Learn chess the fast way. Lotus Chess teaches you 150+ openings, analyses your games instantly and shows you how to close out endgames, in just a few minutes a day. From complete beginners to 2300 Elo players. Rated 4.8/5. Most apps teach engine-perfect theory. Lotus Chess teaches the lines that win against real people. OPENINGS, BUILT FROM YOUR GAMES • Connect Chess.com or Lichess and get a personal opening course from your own games • Learn 150+ openings for White and Black • Train every line hands-on until it becomes natural • Lines picked from 100,000,000+ games for the best winning chances against real players FOUNDATIONS: LEARN CHESS FROM SCRATCH • New to chess? Start with the rules and basic ideas, step by step • 150+ short, interactive lessons, no experience needed INSTANT GAME ANALYSIS • See your accuracy for every game • Find your mistakes and blunders, move by move • Understand exactly where you lost the game ENDGAMES • 60+ lessons, from basic checkmates to advanced techniques • 180+ positions to play out against a human-like engine • Learn to close out winning positions DAILY WORKOUT • A personal training plan, ready every day • Build a daily chess habit with streaks • 100,000+ chess puzzles that match your level • Opening and endgame lessons work offline FREE AND PRO Start for free: • The first section of Foundations and Endgames • The first 2 sections and 2 crushing lines of every opening • 10 puzzles and 1 game analysis per day Lotus Chess Pro unlocks everything: • All openings, sections and crushing lines • The full Foundations and Endgame courses, with all training positions • Unlimited puzzles and game analysis Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account. Your subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it anytime in your App Store account settings. BUILT BY CHESS PLAYERS Lotus Chess was created by two brothers who started playing chess at age four. After building Math42, a math learning app with over 6 million downloads, they set out to build the best way to learn chess. Privacy Policy & Terms of Use: https://www.lotus-chess.com/privacy-policy

About

Chess Masterclasses

Features
Read full description

Unlock the Secrets of Chess Legends, Study Iconic Games, Learn Master-Level Strategy, and Improve Your Play with Expert Commentary. Chess Masterclasses is the ultimate educational app for chess lovers. Whether you're a beginner eager to learn strategy or an advanced player aiming to sharpen your tactical edge, this app brings history’s greatest chess games to your fingertips, complete with deep analysis and professional commentary. Learn from the Greatest Chess Minds Step into the minds of grandmasters. Review iconic games played by world champions like Bobby Fischer, Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen, Jose Capablanca, and many more. Each move is broken down with insightful commentary, giving you a front-row seat to master-level decision-making. Interactive Game Review Each featured match is presented with an intuitive, interactive board. Tap through moves, pause for thought, or jump to critical moments. Our detailed move-by-move breakdowns explain tactics, openings, endgames, positional play, and the psychology behind each decision. Perfect for All Skill Levels Whether you're just learning how to play chess or studying for tournaments, Chess Masterclass adapts to your level: - Beginners can follow commentary to build foundational understanding - Intermediate players gain insights into strategy, tempo, sacrifices, and transitions - Advanced users explore grandmaster-level ideas, complex variations, and historical context Why Choose Chess Masterclass? - Legendary Games Library: Hundreds of classic and modern games analyzed in depth - Expert Commentary: Learn why each move was made, not just what happened - Searchable Content: Filter by player, era, opening, or theme - Regular Updates: New games and commentary added frequently - Offline Mode: Study your favorite games anywhere, anytime - Beautiful UI: Clean, elegant interface optimized for iPhone and iPad Key Features: - Instructive commentary from experienced players - Move-by-move interactive analysis - Famous chess openings and traps explained - Deep dives into tactics, endgames, and positional ideas - Historic matches from tournaments, championships, and rivalries - Regularly updated content to keep learning fresh For the Global Chess Community Chess is a universal language, and Chess Masterclass is your companion for lifelong improvement. Whether you play online, at the club, or over-the-board with friends, you’ll build a stronger game by understanding how the masters think. Start your journey today, download Chess Masterclasses and transform how you study chess. Learn from the best to become your best.

Screenshots

Lotus Chess4 screens
Chess Masterclasses4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chess Masterclasses at none against Lotus Chess's 4. Lotus Chess's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Lotus Chess sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Chess Masterclasses asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lotus Chess ships an update weekly, Chess Masterclasses monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Lotus Chess versus Chess Masterclasses: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLotus ChessChess Masterclasses
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews86.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size229 MB35 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLotus Chess UGDAVIDE CASARINI

Bugs and requests

Lotus Chess

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Library to explain the WHY behind the moves
  • Link to an online library
  • Ability to remove pre-selected openings
  • Review of daily correspondence games

Chess Masterclasses

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Lotus Chess

Subscriptions4
  • Lotus Pro · Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Lotus Pro · Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Pro Subscription - 1 Year7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pro Subscription - 1 Year7 Days trial$69.991 Year
None

Chess Masterclasses

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lotus Chess free?
Lotus Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chess Masterclasses free?
Chess Masterclasses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Lotus Chess or Chess Masterclasses have ads?
Neither Lotus Chess nor Chess Masterclasses shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lotus Chess or Chess Masterclasses?
Lotus Chess ships an update weekly, and Chess Masterclasses monthly. Most recently, Lotus Chess was updated on November 5, 2026 and Chess Masterclasses on October 25, 2026.

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